Throwing Stones
by ingrid-matthews
Summary: Let he who is without sin flip the first stone.


Title: Throwing Stones

Fandom: White Collar

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Mozzie POV

Spoilers: Post-ep for Episode 2, "Threads"

Disclaimer: Belongs to the USA network? Not mine.

Summary: Let he who is without sin ...

xXxX

Neal Caffrey is a lousy-no-good liar.

Actually, he's a top-shelf liar, which makes Mozzie angrier than he should be at Neal's confession about the placement of the goods. _Portland, they're in Portland_, he'd finally admitted, after a 'slip' about the Northwest which made him act weird which in turn convinced Mozzie this was the real deal.

Of course, it wasn't the real deal. Neither was the 'slip' he'd let loose to Kate about San Diego. None of Neal's slips are real because, obviously, Neil Caffrey doesn't slip. Which makes Mozzie angry as well as a little scared. He now has to hope that Neal's talents don't veer into mind-reading at some point.

It's not that Mozzie's going to undercut Neal on any particular day. It's just that there's a Mexican stand-off in their future and has been since the night Neal unveiled that first gorgeous heist. It was a beauty snatched right from the wall of a rich widower, a tiny Dutch masterwork that practically glowed in the dim light of the apartment.

They stared at the painting, breathing through their mouths and in the pulse of a single heartbeat they all glanced up, a flash of something terrible in their eyes. Kate looked away first, her cheeks white and Neal immediately turned back to the painting, calculating its value aloud. But Mozzie, he didn't flinch, he just kept staring off into that faraway distance, to the day he knew was coming.

See, the way it works is like this.

Kate flips the stone first and is denied the loot, but she has an alibi. The man with the ring has made her do it, he's threatened Neal and oh my god, I'm so glad you found me, darling, how I love you. Neal, being the romantic idiot he is, falls for this and gives her the real deal, right in the middle of their reunion and the minute the words are out of his mouth ...

She shivs him.

Maybe in the balls, maybe in the heart, it doesn't matter. Her betrayal has killed him outright, she might not even need the knife.

Little Kate rides off into the blood-red sunset, sipping at another, this time real, eight-hundred dollar bottle of wine when out of the blue it comes, like a vengeful bolt of lightning.

Mozzie shivs her. Right in her traitorous back.

He'll tell himself that this is for Neal and it is, not only because of what the bitch did to him but because all those beautiful pieces of art and giant tubs of money - Neal would be horrified to see them go to waste. Mozzie would never let that happen. He'll spend the rest of life drinking toasts to Neal's brilliant memory and if he happens to enjoy it a little along the way, well, a guy can only do so much for a fallen friend.

Now this is the way Mozzie hopes it works out because there are other, less attractive, scenarios. Maybe Kate and Neal honestly make-up and take out Mozzie or maybe Neal hangs them both out to dry, laughing all the way to South America.

The latter is not only possible, but likely. Mozzie knows he should walk away now but if thieves lack two things; it's honor and common sense. So why fight fate?

All Mozzie can do is hope that neither virtue is ever instilled into Neal at any point, especially not by the badly-dressed agent Neal's handcuffed himself to in hopes of finding Kate.

The way Neal looks at Burke sometimes - both hungry and amused - makes Mozzie nervous. He's pretty sure Kate would never have flipped the stone if she'd imagined this happening. Someone else is making the moves on Neal's brain, his true erogenous zone, whispering sweet promises into his ear, one case at a time.

All Mozzie can do is sit back and watch. It's to his advantage that he's still there to see what happens and there might not be all that much to worry about. Peter Burke is a rube; his crappy suit over-pressed, halo too brightly polished. He'd probably figure Mozzie out in ten seconds flat but Neal won't listen to him because just as you can't con an honest man ...

You can't easily turn away from the devil you know.

Even if he is your best friend.

xXxX

**Reviews are welcome and appreciated!**


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